Police bust counterfeit travel document gang

Following a months-long investigation that also involved the cooperation of Europol, police have busted a criminal gang and seized some 4,650 counterfeit travel documents that were intended to facilitate illegal migration.

Eleven people were arrested as part of the investigation, with police believing that they facilitated at least 50 cases of human smuggling and illegal migration.

Those arrested include three Palestinians, three Latvians, two Iraqis, two Syrians and one Lebanese national.

Along with the thousands of counterfeit documents, 10 high-grade laser printers and more than €20,000 in cash were confiscated.

According to Europol, the criminal organization began operations in September 2023 and used sophisticated, hi-tech equipment to produce "high quality counterfeit travel and identification documents," which rendered them extremely difficult to...